Immortal after a Hundred Reincarnations

「Several more hours passed.」

Xu Lei and Zhao Xin stood facing each other.

Zhao Xin had now aged into a woman nearly fifty years old.

Although she too had grown old—with some white in her hair, a plumper figure, and noticeable wrinkles at the corners of her eyes—she was nowhere near as old as Xu Lei.

"Xin’er, I’m leaving,"

Xu Lei said. "I’m sorry. I can’t stay by your side forever.

But your Cultivation is considerable now, and you’re not that old. Even if you run into some trouble, you can handle it yourself.

Even if it means expending some Magical Power—as long as it isn’t too much—

you can get it back with just a few more years of Cultivation.

You still have a very good chance of attaining the Dao.

I came to say goodbye to you today.

This isn’t just a farewell. It’s a departure.

I have to leave you.

This time, I’m the one who doesn’t love you anymore.

If you want, you can find another Dao Companion after I’m gone.

That’s all I have to say.

Live the rest of your life in peace!"

With that, Xu Lei turned and walked away.

He had become utterly decrepit.

For the past two years, he’d been too weak to perform Charitable Giving.

Sometimes, a single act of Charitable Giving would force him to rest for over half a month.

Zhao Xin rushed forward and hugged Xu Lei from behind,

but in the end, she didn’t try to make him stay. She just saw him off with tears in her eyes.

Xu Lei had told her long ago that he wanted to leave.

After all, he still had unfinished business.

There was the matter of Jin Xuan, and the Enchantress in the Eastern Wilderness Marsh.

Before he died of old age, Xu Lei wanted to settle these things.

Of course, there was another reason: Xu Lei didn’t want to die of old age at Zhao Xin’s side.

He didn’t want his final impression on her to be that of a helpless old man, unable to care for himself.

Cultivators, too, could grow so old that they could no longer manage their daily lives.

Once they aged to a certain point, they could consume their own Origin to nourish their bodies, which could delay the inevitable for a while.

But once their Origin was depleted, they would become completely decrepit.

Just like an ordinary old man, they would eventually become unable to care for themselves.

Xu Lei refused to let himself reach that point.

So, while he could still move about freely,

he was going to finish his last two tasks.

「Seven days later.」

Xu Lei stood before Zhou Ya.

Zhou Ya had also grown old.

She was now a woman in her fifties.

Though much younger than Zhao Xin,

she was a mortal, after all.

As a result, she now looked considerably older than Zhao Xin.

Still, Zhou Ya was not as old as Xu Lei.

The child she had borne for Xu Lei had since grown up, married, and had children of their own.

"Immortal, thank you,"

Zhou Ya said as he left. "Thank you for everything in this life. I’m so glad I met you."

After all, if she hadn’t met Xu Lei back then, she would have died long ago.

She had once believed becoming Xu Lei’s Maid

would mean living the life of a slave,

that she would become his plaything, a tool for his release.

But it hadn’t been like that at all.

Over the years, she had lived a far, far better life than most women.

Besides, aside from being a little rough with her in bed,

Xu Lei had been good to her in every other way.

And truth be told, Zhou Ya had actually enjoyed that "bad" part very much.

"It’s been hard on you,"

Xu Lei said. "All these years, you’ve managed everything for our children and grandchildren.

I barely did a thing.

You worried about it all by yourself."

Then, he gave a small smile and left, not waiting for Zhou Ya to say anything more.

That’s right. Zhou Ya and Zhao Xin were both still alive, but Xu Lei had left them.

This was unlike all the women before, whom he had watched over until their deaths.

Those were partings by death.

This was a parting in life.

Parting in life, separation by death—this was the very meaning of the phrase.

「Three days later.」

Xu Lei arrived at the Daoist Temple where Jin Xuan resided.

Upon finding Jin Xuan, he said nothing and immediately threw out more than a dozen Explosive Packages.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

A terrifying explosion rocked the Daoist Temple.

The blast left Jin Xuan completely stunned.

It was too sudden.

Jin Xuan didn’t even have time to muster his Magical Power to defend himself.

He was instantly wounded, blood trickling from his mouth.

Xu Lei had come to the Daoist Temple wearing a Human Skin Mask, disguised as an ordinary old man leaning on a cane.

Seeing that Jin Xuan was only wounded, not dead,

Xu Lei didn’t waste any words and frantically threw more Explosive Packages.

He threw over a hundred more in succession,

completely leveling several halls of the Daoist Temple.

Jin Xuan’s hair was a mess as he vomited mouthfuls of blood.

After all, he had never left the mountain in all these years. He had no access to other resources, and he lived in a constant state of panic. With such a poor state of mind, his Cultivation had progressed very slowly.

"Hui Chi... You’re Hui Chi!"

In the midst of the chaos, Jin Xuan finally realized who his attacker was.

He roared, "You dare come to a Daoist Temple to kill me?! This is a slap in the face to the Daoist Sect! You have no respect for the Daoist Sect—"

But Xu Lei wasn’t there to talk.

He immediately activated the Lotus Drill and struck.

It pierced straight through Jin Xuan’s head, which then exploded!

He was as dead as dead could be.

"How audacious, Hui Chi!"

Just then, a stooped, white-haired old Daoist emerged from the back mountain of the temple. "How dare you act so brazenly in a Daoist Sect temple!" he roared.

He threw out a Golden Bell Magical Artifact.

It spun rapidly, growing larger as it flew through the air.

The object itself was actually growing in size!

It wasn’t merely an illusion of size created by Magical Power.

RUMBLE! The artifact flew toward Xu Lei, looking as if it would trap him beneath it!

Xu Lei couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. ’The Daoist Sect’s foundation is truly extraordinary.’

"Get lost!"

Of course, as Xu Lei flew backward, he immediately threw several dozen Explosive Packages at the bell.

BOOM!

The Golden Bell failed to trap him.